Plain Folks

Method

Make the leaders look just like mom'n'pop-style 'plain folks'. Things you can
do to achieve this include:

Dress

Wear ordinary clothes. Especially avoid designer gear. When you must be
formal, be plain, so you clothes do not send 'flashy' messages. When you are
seen in 'informal' settings, wear jeans and other 'relaxed' clothing (but do
make sure they are always clean).

When visiting particular groups, you can dress to show you are like them.
When 'down on the farm', wear bibbed denims. When visiting the troops, wear
simple fatigues (careful not to show rank here).

Speech

Use simple words, simple grammar and short sentences. Pause, as if you have
to think hard about words before speaking.

When talking with a particular group of people, use their language, but with
care not to appear that you are aping them (be careful with local dialects and
professional jargon). Perhaps use just a few of their words, or use parallel
words that say 'I may not be you, but I'm so like you it is the same thing,
anyway'.

A subtly is to use minor speech errors and incorrect grammar. If you are a
linguist, this can be painful. But it sends the basic message: 'I'm an ordin'ry
person, jus' like you.' Do this carefully: you want to appear ordinary, not
foolish.

Action

When you are shown doing things, do normal things. Be seen doing chores around the house.
Go out running. Walk the dog. Play with your kids. Appear interested in things
and people. Be surprised. Be normal.

Just as with dress and speech, you can copy
body language, sending 'I'm like
you' signals.

Like speech errors, you can make simple action mistakes. Drop things. Knock
things over. Slip up a bit. Again, be careful to look ordinary, not a fool.

Example

Visiting a church, the President dresses in a dark suit and
blue shirt. He walks slowly and with hands together in front of him. He talks
gravely with people. He sings with joy and prays with fervor. Later that day, he
has changed into denims and fleece top to take the dog for a walk. Along the
way, he meets another dog owner and exchanges cheery pleasantries.

Discussion

When you dress, speak and act like
other people, you say 'I am like you'. When they see you as like them, they are
more likely to like and trust you in
return. Once they have decided that you are trustworthy, they will accept what
you say without question.

Appearing ordinary also makes you appear uncomplicated and very unlikely to
tell lies. As a result, people are more likely to
trust you further and believe more of
what you say.

This is a method that is often used by people aspiring to (and working in)
high office. It is easy for such people to lose track with the ordinary person
-- or at least appear to do so. Using the 'Plain Folks' method helps mitigate
this risk.